Ciao Chow Linda

Ravioli

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Serves: Makes about 40-50 ravioli

Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 whole egg

• 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese, drained overnight if possible

• 1 cup parmesan cheese

• a few sprigs of parsley, finely minced

• optional – 3/4 cup chopped spinach or wild greens, or broccoli rape, cooked and squeezed tight of liquid

• salt, pepper

• nutmeg

• FOR THE PASTA:

• 1 1/2- 2 cups flour, adding more as needed

• pinch of salt

• 3 eggs

Instructions

1. Mix the ingredients for the filling. If using frozen spinach, don’t cook it. Let it thaw, then squeeze all the liquid, or as much as possible from the spinach. If using wild greens or broccoli rape, cook in water until tender, then drain, cool, and squeeze out all water possible. Mince and mix with other filling ingredients.

2. For the pasta, blend everything in a food processor. It’s best to start with less flour and add more as you need, since it’s much more difficult if you have too much flour and not enough liquid. Blend everything until the dough comes together in a ball. If it’s too wet, add more flour. Knead a little more on a floured surface until it’s very smooth, like a baby’s bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at least a half hour.

3. After it has rested, roll it through a pasta machine, starting with the thickest setting and ending up about two settings short of the thinnest setting. Try to roll it out so that you have an evenly long piece of dough that will fit across your ravioli form. If you’re not using a ravioli form, just lay out the dough on the counter, drop about a tablespoon of filling, evenly spaced across the dough, then cover with another layer of dough. Spread a little water with your finger, along the edges, to help the sealing. Starting from the middle, press down on the spaces between the ravioli, working out to the edges. Using a pasta/pastry crimper (or a knife if you don’t have one), crimp the dough between the filling, then separate the ravioli, and use a fork to crimp along the edges, ensuring the ravioli don’t open when boiled.

4. When cooking in the boiling water, lower the temperature so that the ravioli just come to a low simmer, or low boil. If they boil too vigorously, you risk bursting the ravioli.

5. Serve with your favorite sugù, or sauce.